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At 7.00pm on Wednesday 29 March 2017, I went to the cinema and watched the advanced screening of Beauty and the Beast. Where do I begin?

Let’s begin from the beginning. Like a typical 90s kid, Beauty and the Beast is hands down my favourite Disney cartoon. The music, the moral of the story, the longing to be just like Belle and my god, that library. I watch the Disney cartoon at least once a year and it just never gets old. It’s beautiful, it’s terrifying and it just takes me back to my carefree childhood.

Photo credit: ohmy.disney on Pinterest

When I heard they were making a movie, I’m not going to lie: I was terrified and very, very skeptical. Even though I’m a fan of Emma Watson, when you’re recreating a classic Disney cartoon, it can either be incredible, average or well, ridiculous. I didn’t want my childhood to be ruined because the director had a vision that was way off from mine.

For those of you who don’t know what Beauty and the Beast is about (god forbid!), quick summary: Arrogant prince is transformed into a Beast by a disguised enchantress. Everyone in his household is transformed into inanimate objects. To break the spell, the Beast must learn to love another and earn their love. Belle, a small town bibliophile, takes the place of her father as the Beast’s prisoner because he picked a rose from his garden. During her stay, she grows closer to the Beast and they fall for one another. Oh and he gifts her an incredible library. Her father is mocked by the villagers for asking for their help to save Belle and narcissistic Gaston sends him to a madhouse. Belle, witnessing this through an enchanted mirror, is freed by the Beast to save her father. She shows the villagers the Beast through the mirror to prove that he’s real and her father isn’t mad. Everyone freaks and they go to the castle to kill the Beast. They’re attacked by the inanimate objects. Gaston tries to kill Beast. Beast gets shot and Gaston falls to his death. Beast is dying and the last petal on the enchanted rose falls before Belle tells Beast she loves him. Belle somehow manages to break the spell anyways and then everyone turns back to human and they live happily ever after. The end*.

Photo credit: lolalambchops on Pinterest

Fast-forward to Wednesday and well, I had to refrain myself from singing out loud to all the known tunes and weeping tears of joy. When it came to the scene of Beast vs Gaston, I lost all self control. I was in tears. I couldn’t stop crying and you know when you go to the movies and it’s a sad scene so a few drops of tears dribble down and then you wipe them away and it’s okay again?

Well this wasn’t that situation. I cried and cried and cried. I felt like I was crying of a broken heart andthen Belle breaks the spell and everyone becomes human, I cried tears of complete and utter joy. So much joy. I can’t even begin. Even more joyous was realizing whom the different actors were that acted as the ‘live’ inanimate objects like Lumiere, Cogsworth and Mrs Pots. Freaking lost my mind when they turned into human. I left the cinema with panda eyes and mascara on the side of my face.

So how do I think Bill Condon did in recreating a childhood classic? He did a pretty good job. There were some added scenes that didn’t quite follow the original but they worked pretty well. You can also really sense the studio-created backdrops for some of the scenes but it’s not tragic that you’d hate it. Well, I didn’t anyways.

Condon also did pretty well with the casting. All the actors fitted their characters very well and it was great seeing the on-screen veterans like Ian McKellen, Stanley Tucci, Ewan McGregor and the ravishing Emma Thompson.

Would I watch it again? Yes, yes I would. My birthday is in 4 days. I think I might just go to the movies and watch it again.

*It’s not the best synopsis but if you want to read more, I’m sure my uncle Google will give you a more detailed plot outline. Also, there’s always the option to watch the movie… wink wink